The biggest open air museum in Alsace, set out like an Alsatian village of the early 20th century. Alsace, France.
The "it" factor
What makes it special:
Authenticity: All houses were brought here from their original locations
Fun play areas for kids
Regular daily animations and events
Boat rides along the river
What needs to be considered:
The museum is quite large, it can be a lot to walk for smaller kids
It is difficult to see all the shows in one visit - consider planning your visit around animations and events that are interesting for you
Écomusée d'Alsace impression video
The fun factor
Écomusée d'Alsace is a "back in time" adventure. You enter a reconstructed Alsatian village with traditional houses. All houses were dismantled beam by beam in their original locations and built in this beautiful green area. We felt like we had entered an old movie set or a computer game (Geek Factor - shout out to all the Baldur's Gate fans, as we both thought exactly about this game whilst walking around the Écomusée d'Alsace!).
The houses are amazing but might not be very engaging for small children. The fun factor for our 3.5 year-old came from the possibility to rent a small chariot that she could sit in as we pulled her around the village. A real hit for kids but a real drag for the parents ( :D )!
There is a specific section dedicated to kids. It has a small obstacle course, a playground, traditional huts and shelters to play in, a barefoot path, a ship-themed play area and a small, shallow stream. There are also tables if you would like to have a picnic whilst your kids are exploring the play area.
At specific times of the day there are also daily animations: Feeding the pigs, milk processing, milking the cows, the village parade, the farm animals, history lessons at the school, trying traditional headdresses and more. There are also seasonal events such as "The tales legends of autumn", "The Arts du Feu", Christmas themed ones and more. And if you are lucky like we were, you might also come across a wine tasting station. Be careful though - the wines are so good that you might end up leaving home with a few bottles... Yet another use for the chariot.
Every day, at specific times, are also boat rides, which we found to be very nice and relaxing. A very friendly guide was telling us the story of the area whilst slowly going along a beautiful river from one side of the museum to another. Unfortunately the guide was only speaking French, but even if you don't understand a word of it, the boat ride is worth considering. Tip: the ride is one way only and doesn't allow for strollers or rented kids chariots. You have to either separate with one person walking back with the equipment, or leave your stroller somewhere and do the boat ride both ways (each way is only 1 EUR per person - cash only).
As you would expect to find in any traditional village, Écomusée d'Alsace is full of animals: donkeys, horses, oxen, goats, turkeys, chicken, geese, rabbits, pigs, sheep and more! You can visit them in their "houses" all around the village or watch them during one of the animal shows. Our favorite one was a giant goat living in one of the buildings - unfortunately she was not really in the mood for a photo shoot and we just managed to capture her from the back but you can see part of her impressive horns!
If you or your kids are into tractors, like ours seems to be - you are in for a treat! There are many tractors scattered around the museum. Some you can climb on and some you can admire. At specific times there are even tractor rides around the museum. We saw one tractor driving passed us and it looked very fun! With all the museum had to offer, unfortunately we had to skip it.
If all of the above is not enough for your fun-factor-hungry kids, there is also a small carousel that operates daily from 3:30 pm till 5:30 pm. It is located just next to the entrance / exit so if time allows, it can be a nice way to finish the museum visit. We got so immersed in the world of Écomusée d'Alsace that when we arrived at the exit, it was already closed.
The food factor
If you like Alsatian food, you won't be left out. There are 2 restaurants serving traditional Alsatian food: La Taverne, and The Auberge d’Hégenheim (which was closed during our visit). There is also a bakery and many picnic places around, if you prefer to bring your own food.
If you just prefer a teaser of Alsatian tastes, you can join "The House of Tastes and Colours" daily event where you can sample some freshly prepared local food.
The value factor
In 2023 the prices were as follows:
Adult (18+) €16,50 | online €15,50
Child (4 -17 years) €11 | online €10
Child (Under 3 years) free
Family Pass €50 | online €49
This includes entrance and most of the animations. Boat and tractor rides are paid extra (1 CHF per person)
There is also an annual pass valid for the whole year from the purchase date.
With all the animations, events and play areas, you can easily spend half a day to a day in the park.
Écomusée d'Alsace- practical info
